This has been edited to the best of my ability.

Warnings: M. M/M Yaoi. Mpreg. Supernatural themes. Language. Violence. Adult themes. Character death. The plot is mine.

Chapter: 27: Attack

The Dragon stood in the court yard as the Healer inspected his injuries. "What were you attacked by?" Seeing the amount of dried blood that stained Touzoku's body indicated that he had sustained very significant injuries. It was rather alarming knowing that something or someone was skilled enough to cause this amount of damage to a Dragon. He overhead the Healer mutter how one more well placed strike and Touzoku would have lost his wing completely.

"A Dragon Slayer," the not Yami answered, his arms crossed over his bare chest and stood in nothing more than the stranded issue pants provided by all Healing Sanctuaries. He focused on the Healer and also listening to her muttering about the wounds and marveled about the use of herbs.

"Dragon Slayer?" Bakura raised an eyebrow, the Dragon Slayers outlived their usefulness once all the Dragons had been killed. It forced many to find other means of survival using their skills to hunt other things that would make them gold, rare items, creatures and even Humans for the right price. Touzoku could take care of himself, however if a Dragon Slayer discovered Ryou, he would be at greater risk as pregnant Dragons were worth much more. "You're being hunted?"

The Healer hissed every now and then from a gash or cut that parts of her body came into contact with Touzoku's scales while trying to climb up his body and onto his back.

"The Slayer is dead as well as his group," the not Yami informed him. "We killed them all."

"The reason you had to kill one?" The last thing Bakura needed right now was a Demon that would bring trouble upon them all.

"I killed Ella and Touzoku got me out."

"Say that again."

"I killed Ella," the not Yami repeated staring right at Bakura who was still having issues processing what he had heard. "She is ash." He looked to the tree line and unfolded his arms as he took a step forward.

"Ella… Ella's dead?!" Bakura's mind reeled and a moment of wondering if he had strayed into a dream. A threat to his family and a thorn in his side since Marik had found him, was gone. He had always imagined ending Ella's life or Marik. "Who are-"

The Demon suddenly flew at Bakura knocking them both down and before he could push the Demon off him. The Healer was knocked off Touzoku's back and landed heavily face down just a few feet from them as those that stood guard on the roof also fell with the heavy thudding sounds of their full dead weight hitting the ground around them.

The arrow sticking out of the Healer's back oozed a blackness. Bakura rose to his feet seeing a few of Siamun's assassins lay dead with a sludge like black ooze running from their eyes, noses, mouths and ears, more arrows zipped above them striking those on the roof causing them to fall where they stood or fall to the ground below.

Bakura summoned his weapons in hand as Touzoku's chest glowed as he whipped about with a furious roar and breathed fire into the air as the next barrage of arrows simply incinerated into nothing.

"We are under attack!" Multiple shouts from those still standing on the roof. "Wolves!" Another yell, just as Werewolves bounding on all fours crossed the open distance from tree line to the stone wall of the estate in a matter of moments and flooded the court yard. Bakura and not Yami met them head on as Siamun's assassins joined them. A small group didn't stop, dodging everything and everyone, leapt over the porch railing and smashed through the kitchen window creating a large hole.

"Ryou!" Bakura turned slashing a Werewolf down just as the whole side of the house exploded, the Werewolves perished along with those standing close by outside. Anzu called out a few words as she raised her hands and with it splinters and chunks of wood rose up. She flicked her palms outward, the splinters shot out with enough force to kill or injure the second group of Werewolves charging at her and her father.

Bakura dropped his shield as three Castle guards simultaneously attacked leaving no room for him to do anything other than defend himself against them. A strange blast of a horn echoed through the forest and every Castle guard flew and ran the short distance between tree line and the estate. Bakura growled as his arm was stabbed into and he almost dodged the second swing of a swords that sliced his clothing and nicked his chest.

The court yard completely overrun by Castle guards and Werewolves. Siamun and his assassins fought back barely holding their own. The house had been infiltrated once again by Werewolves as they crashed in through the front door. "Ryou!" His energy was sluggish and hard to gather, what had been effortless for him was now difficult and took too much of his attention off the fight that he was stabbed right through his back. A second Demon rushed at him and drove his blade right through his chest. "Die traitor," the Guard before him sneered down at him with a victorious grin.

"Ryou," Bakura choked on the blood filling his mouth, the battle around him didn't stop, Werewolves and guards rushed into the house. Siamun's assassins were being overpowered by numbers and falling, soon there would be nothing left of them. They were losing, Bakura gave a deep ominous growl as he tried once again to gather his powers and all that happened was his fangs enlarged as well as his claws. The guard yanked his sword free and swung it back over his shoulder an obvious strike to remove his head.

The two guards around him fell to the ground and a hand grabbed his upper arm and Bakura was yanked up. "Stay on your feet!" The not Yami growled and he placed a hand to Bakura's chest and a familiar energy of a Healer filled him, not enough to heal him completely, though the pain was gone and the bleeding stopped, the wounds were closing over. The not Yami moved so quickly and wrapped his arms about Bakura and with a bat of his large black wings both Demons were in the air.

Touzoku let out an infuriated roar, his chest glowed and he breathed his fire completely across the court yard, those that were quick enough had gotten out of the way, the rest had let out a short lived painful screams. The corner of the house caught fire and began to quickly spread.

The not Yami and Bakura landed back on scorched ground and the attack changed in that moment, most abounded the fight to attack the Dragon. Touzoku tore, bit and clawed at those attacking him and became overwhelmed by numbers. The guards had managed to clamp down one of Touzoku's wings and were attempting to muzzle him. Not Yami snarled as he flew over with such speed that they didn't see him coming, he cut down six that were trying to muzzle the Dragon, before cutting Touzoku's wing free. Bakura turned for the house to see Shada a few feet from him with Anzu unconscious in his arms and bleeding from the right side of her body, with Joey close behind as Mazaki with glowing hands and sparks of lightening all over his body, defending them, shooting balls of energy at anything that rushed towards them.

"Where's-" He stopped when the whole house collapsed in on itself, even the supports that held it up had given way and the fire consumed everything almost instantly. "No Ryou! Marik!" He only got a few feet towards the rubble of a house when Shada stepped in front him.

"I didn't see them in there." It gave no relief to Bakura at all, since no one would have been watching out for his mate or Marik when they all would have been fighting for their lives.

No one was going to take his mate from him nor would he lose another lover. It was complete uncontained blind rage that had his powers flowing once more. He let it fill him, let it change his form.

Mazaki killed the guards and Werewolves that were moving in to attack them. "We all need to get out of here!" he called out in desperation.

The sky darkened as Bakura summoned his tendrils, he'd take care of them all… It was like a hit to his body that almost brought him to his knees as his darkness receded, his form reverted back and his tendrils didn't emerge. It felt like his energy was being smothered and forcefully suppressed within him. Bakura fought against it only to have it snuffed out as soon as he was able to gather a small amount of his powers. He glanced about, there was only one Witch that was powerful enough to stop him like this and if she is here, she wasn't leaving alive.

Mazaki gasped and stumbled on his feet a little as his power were also snuffed out, like a candle's flame.

Bakura scanned the area for that bitch Witch who would step out of hiding any second now and boast how she had bested them. Witches and Warlocks emerged from the tree line, with their arms stretched out at their sides, palms skyward and all chanting a spell in perfect unison as they approached at a steady pace and stopped few feet from the stone wall, never breaking their spell. They were the Witches and Warlocks of the Demon court, more trained and skilled than the average caster, Bakura had always a suspicion that they were trained by Ishizu.

Bakura launched himself at the casters and only two focused on him and spoke, "suffocation." Bakura didn't even make it to the stone wall when his whole body convulsed and he fell, the air sucked from his body, he couldn't breathe.

"Touzoku!" The not Yami shouted and Dragon flames engulfed the area where the Witches were standing forcing them to break their spell as they fell back to the safety of the others. Touzoku's fire was funneled by the Witches and Warlocks and safely passed between them and evaporated behind their line. Bakura gasped in air and coughed and he was dragged back by Siamun and Mazaki. "Best not attacking so many casters on your own Demon." The Warlock warned him.

"You are all defeated!" A voice boomed over casters still chanting their spell. "Surrender now!" Bakura with not Yami's help got to his feet to see the new appointed captain of the Castle's guard standing on the stone wall with a body slung over his shoulder. "You are all under arrest for treason against the throne and murder of our Lord Yami and the head of the Council, Ella." The captain dropped the body from his shoulder, it hit the ground with a heavy thud.

"Seto!" The Healer's mate screamed having noticed Kaiba first, it looked as though he had been tortured to an inch of his life. His clothes were shredded and soaked with blood, it looked as though there wasn't a bit of skin that wasn't cut, bleeding, swollen or bruised. Siamun had grabbed the Human preventing him from getting any closer and possibly killed. "Seto!" the Human cried out and struggled. "Get off me! Seto!" Siamun growled snapping a few words and the Human fell silent.

"Surrender now and you all may be shown mercy!" The captain shouted and those few of Siamun's assassins were forced to join them as they were all now completely surrounded by guards and Werewolves that snapped and snarled keeping them grouped tightly together.

Bakura in that moment felt the familiar pull and awareness of his mate. His body reacted as if answering the call, humming and vibrating as if suddenly pumped with adrenaline. He found that not all his powers were suppressed and parts of his body subtly became like dark smoke and wafted away in the air.

The not Yami took a step forward, "as the rightful King of Demons, it is you who will be dealt with for treason." Silence fell for a few moments before the captain and a few of the guards chuckled in amusement.

"Lord Yami, how can you become King or punish us for treason when you and your friends are going to die here." The captain smirked.

"I'm going to remember you," not Yami seethed as Touzoku let out a loud growl.

"No one here will be surrendering or dying today." Bakura's body instantly turned to dark smoke that it covered the area in a thick fog as he ported everyone away with him, since it was the only thing he could do against so many casters suppressing his powers.

He ported everyone some distance away from the estate by using the pull to guide him directly to his mate. However he hadn't expected to be standing in the middle of dead bodies of Werewolves all dismembered made it impossible to count, they were all over the area and even hanging in parts in the trees above them.

Bakura's energy flowed freely now that he was out of the Witches and Warlocks reach. His form became solid once more though he didn't let down his guard. "Bakura!" He turned just in time to see Ryou fly at him and braced himself as he practically caught his mate in his arms, Ryou's almost white leather wings brushed against his sides, his horns bumped against his jawline and his claws dug a little into his back.

"You're hurt," Marik muttered unhappily as he approached, Ryou pulled back with a soft gasp and his fingers gently plucked at the torn blood soaked shirt to get a better look.

"Mostly healed," Bakura reassured them. "Are you both alright?" Ryou glanced up, his eyes glowing gold as he nodded his head.

"They followed us," Ryou added with a growl giving a sideways glance to parts of a body a few feet from them, "swift bastards were right on our heels, but they regret it now."

"Necro helped," Marik turned his head and Bakura saw his familiar, tall, cloaked with weapons much like his own in her hands as they vanished and she changed forms to that of a cat.

"Was it Ishizu that attacked us?" Marik asked as howling echoed through the vast forest. Ryou pressed himself completely against Bakura with a growl rumbling from his chest. "Did everyone get out?"

"It was the Castle guards." Bakura added, "I got everyone that was alive."

"Why would the guards attack us?" Marik raised an eyebrow as another echoing howl had him turn towards the sound with his weapons in hands readying for a fight.

"Everyone if you please," Mazaki called out drawing everyone's attention to him as he gave a sweeping hand motion to the bright green swirling water like vortex just behind him. "Onto Blackwood where we'll all be safe."

Ryou's feet touched the ground as Bakura released him just as Marik landed beside them and the portal instantly closed. The old mansion before them stood three stories high, greying stone and covered in twisting leafless vines that looked more like thin reaching fingers and cobwebs.

The doors burst open and a group rushed towards them Seto and Anzu were the firsts to be rushed inside head of them with Joey following close behind as well as Shada and her father. A few lingered back helping Siamun who had sustained a few deep injuries to walk as well as a few others. "Please follow us to the Healer's ward." Bakura waved them away when they approached him offering their assistance, not that Ryou blamed them since his mate was covered in blood.

Once inside Ryou was met with warm air and a pleasant aroma and unlike outside, inside was a range of warm colours and plenty of natural light. "We should be preparing for the next attack." Bakura stopped near the door. "We had to flee and left a great number of those that had attacked us alive and would most likely be headed our way right now."

"They cannot track us here," an older Witch informed him. "Father Mazaki would have made sure of it." She glanced at each of them with a kind smile. "You are all quiet safe here." She turned around and once again instructed them to follow her with a wave of her hand.

Bakura kept a slow pace with Marik at his side as Ryou followed behind still holding Bakura's hand. "Do you really think we made the right decision here?" Ryou was close enough to pick up their hushed whispers. "We have never teamed up with so many Witches or Warlocks before." Marik had moved closer to Bakura that they were now walking shoulder to shoulder. "Being here we are potentially at the mercy of Mazaki if he decides to change his mind." Marik said and stopped walking, Ryou almost bumped into him and his mate looked down at him. "Perhaps we should seek shelter elsewhere for now, until we know Mazaki can be trusted."

"Mazaki isn't going to turn back on his word." Bakura reassured him. Ryou remembered his mate saying that he would kill every caster if they were betrayed and he truly believed his mate would do it.

"How are they going to help us?" Ryou asked feeling left out on this decision on why they were here to begin with when Malik was out there.

"Is there something wrong?" That same Witch stopped about a few feet from them hands on her hips.

"No," Bakura muttered as he walked forward and instantly Marik and Ryou moved as well. They were lead down a wide corridor with openings on either side of the long hallway that branched out into other rooms.

At the end of the corridor the Witch opened two large doors and stepped a sided. "This is our Healing ward. Please have all your wounds attended too." The Healer's ward wasn't anything like the one at the Castle. The room was large and open with one wall lined with plush comfortable beds, plenty of natural light, plants placed about the room, dried herbs hung here and there over the tops of the windows. The far end sat tall bookshelves on each side of the fire place and a table near by filled with colourful vials, a few of them bubbled and steamed over Bunsen burners.

Anzu and Seto were already being attended to by Healers. Joey stood close by the bed gnawing at his fingers as he watched, answering questions or asking them in hushed voices.

"Are you in need of healing?" A Witch stood before Bakura with a frown as she took in his appearance.

Ryou watched the room before him and really taking in how many of them were hurt, even Siamun and Shada had sustained injuries. Shada stood by Anzu's bed watching with deep worry as the Healers worked on cleaning and healing her wounds as he refused any healing offers for himself.

Siamun sat with his head down, out of everyone here he had taken the heaviest hit. The late night conversations Ryou had with the old Demon, revealed that he had raised most of his assassins from birth or found as orphaned fledglings. He even had a hand in raising Marik and divulged many funny stories of his mate as a child.

Ryou turned slightly to see Touzoku standing in threshold with his arms crossed over his chest, he was covered in a mix of old dried blood and dirt. "Do you need healing?" The same Healer stepped around Bakura and offered her abilities to Touzoku.

"Yes," the Yami almost look alike answered and added. "If you have space to heal a Dragon." Everyone in the room paused and stared at them, a few shot each other glances if unsure what they had heard.

"Atem," Touzoku growled low as he uncrossed his arms as the Yami look alike only shrugged.

"Actually we do," the Healer smiled politely. "If you like you can follow me and we'll get started." Those that had been staring went back to what they had been doing. Touzoku and the Demon followed the Witch Healer through the room and out an open a set of doors.

"Are you in need of any healing?" A Healer offered his hand for Ryou, who backed up baring fangs with a growl.

"This is Ryou," Mazaki approached and stopped by the Healer's side. "He is our second Dragon guest. His brother is Touzoku. His mate is Bakura." Again those in the room paused in what they were doing and stared for a moment. Ryou frowned and glanced up at his mate, about to ask how this guy knew so much about them, when Mazaki grabbed his hand and held it in both of his own. "My Healers can be trusted and will serve you with complete confidentiality." Ryou didn't need another Healer telling him they knew nothing or how grateful he should be that they wouldn't kill his half breed infant before drawing her first breath.

"I'm fine," Ryou pulled his hand free and stepped back further that he was almost now out the door.

"Perhaps we can talk later," Mazaki didn't look offended as he just smiled. Ryou wasn't having a conversation with Anzu's father when the one he wanted to talk to is his brother. "Maybe rest for now."

"Those of you not requiring a Healer," Ryou turned about to see a young Warlock with dark shaggy hair almost fell into his green eyes standing behind him. "I'll take you to your rooms."

Bakura and Marik kept Ryou between them and the Warlock in front. The house was alive with activity as young Witches and Warlocks in small groups offered friendly greetings in their passing. The inside consisted of warm colours and wood, old furniture placed here and there, plants and pleasant smells, statues and shelves filled with books, it had a house feeling rather than a coven of Witches and Warlocks.

One flight of stairs and down a corridor the Warlock opened a door and stood aside allowing them all to enter. Necro darted inside across the room in a few bounds and jumped onto the bed and made herself comfortable.

The Warlock followed them inside leaving the door open, "the room consists of its usual amenities, a bed, desk, armchairs, books." Indeed it had a large plush bed in the middle of the room, to Ryou's left bookshelves completely full, a desk and chair, to his right a few armchairs as the shelving continued on that side of the room as well. "The wardrobe holds all the items of clothing you need. Don't worry about sizing they will adjust to fit. After wear place them into any of the baskets and they will reappear back in the wardrobe, repaired, clean and pressed." The wardrobe was on the left by the far wall beyond the bathroom entrance and fireplace. He moved on without a demonstration.

"Convenient," Marik muttered with a raised eyebrow.

"Our kitchens, common rooms, studies are down stairs on the main floor. All are open day and night. This floor and above are bedrooms." He walked towards them. "The other two rooms are just down the hallway."

"The three of us will be staying here." Marik informed him, the Warlock looked confused for a moment before it dawned on him and he simple smiled again. "When are we going to start on finding my mate and taking down this Witch?"

That smiled vanished and the confusion returned as the Warlock stared at Marik. "You are best to speak to father Mazaki." Marik looked to Bakura and they both knew that Mazaki would be occupied with Anzu until she was healed and on her feet. "If there is nothing else." He got no reply and with that the Warlock nodded his head and excused himself, the door closed behind him with a soft click.

Ishizu gave a forceful scream as she opened herself up like floodgates of a damn, feeding her spell what it needed from her to make it work. She'd give it anything to make this work even her life. The potency in which her energy was being drained was alarming and it made her body tremble. It pulled on her energy as if it was sucking the very essence of her power from the morrow. She had to dig her feet into the soil so she wouldn't be pulled forward, it whipped her hair free, the trees bent inwards by the power. The air before her glowed and started to split open crackling like lightening as it ripped open a few feet.

She had torn through the fabrics of time and space, Domino City would be the starting point. The ground shook under her violently, the runes she had drawn around her cracked open and the energy instantly cut off that she fell forward with a gasp to her hands and knees and looked up to see the vortex close with a echoing thunderous clap. Ishizu dug her fingers into the soil and clutched her jaw tightly as her mind raced on what had gone wrong, what she might have missed.

"Ishizu!"

She had spent centuries researching, gathering, even her pronunciation of the incantations were on point. What! What! What was is that she was doing so damn wrong or having over looked! She snarled baring her teeth as the rage within her boiled. "Ishizu!" in one swift motion she rose to her feet and spun around with a blast of energy hitting the one calling her name right in the chest and she imploded into nothingness. The second Witch that had been with her fell on her backside and scooting backwards wide eyed. "I specifically said I didn't want to be interrupted!" Ishizu stormed forward, if she didn't have a good enough reason, Ishizu was going to make her the next sacrifice.

"Malik is awake and the Healers are attempting to amputate his wings." The young Witch gushed out holding up her arms as a shield as if it would have saved her.

"Bury the sacrifice with the others," Ishizu gave her order as she rushed back to the village.

Ishizu ran holding her robes up so her feet wouldn't get caught despite that she had almost slipped in the mud and ice in her haste, no one offered to help and simply watched her run through the small village. She rushed up the steps and into the Healer's house.

"Lady Ishizu, it is not suitable for you to be visiting your brother now." A Healer approached her with a smile, a scream filled with pain sent shivers down the Witch's spine. Ishizu shoved him out of her way as another scream pinpointed the room it was coming from. "Malik is undergoing a delicate procedure." He dared grab her by the arm and pulled her back, Ishizu used the momentum threw her hand palm wards at his chest with a burst of her energy and sent him crashing into the front door hard enough that it snapped from it hinges and both ended up outside on the path way.

Ishizu opened the door that the screaming was coming from and froze in shock in the threshold for a moment at seeing Malik pinned under six Healers, half subdued and weakly struggling to get out from under them. The Healer were already in the process of cutting his wing off and about half way through. "STOP!" Energy shot forward knocking all the Healers off her brother and she rushed to him, falling onto her knees in a pool of his blood. "Malik?!" She gently brushed his sweat damp hair out of his face and looked to his wings that was gushing blood and the pool only growing. "What have you done?!"

"The clamps you used-" the room shook as she growled and the Healer splattered stuttering over his choice of words. "His… his wings are too damaged, he'll never use them again."

"Stop the bleeding!" She snapped at them, not wanting him to bleed to death.

"They are dead limbs." Another Healer whispered unsure shrinking back against the wall when Ishizu set her furious gaze upon her.

"Stop the bleeding and heal him!" She snapped at them, cursing herself for leaving her brother in the hands of second rate Healers. "Now!" Only two of the Healers hesitantly moved forward without a word.

Ishizu watched the Healer's hands tremble as he placed them on each of Malik's shoulders. He laid on his stomach. The base of his left wing they had tried to cut off blood still soaked the bandages, they wrapped about his chest, the base of his wings to the first joints. He called for two other Healer's to help him change the bandages again and ease Malik's pain.

Ishizu moved out of their way and took up the armchair in the corner and opened her book in her lap. She couldn't leave Malik now knowing what they had tried to do to him, and might still try in her absence. "Yes, I am watching," she spoke without looking up from her book, she could feel them glancing at her with every move they made.

She had gotten through a few pages when a shadow fell upon her and she glanced up at the head Healer. "Ishizu," he started doing his best to keep the slight tremble from his voice. "Malik's wings need to be removed, an infection is setting in." He jumped when she snapped her book closed and looked up at him.

"Do you know the survival rate of Demon wing amputation?" She lightly tapped her fingers on the spine of her book. "I do, I've cut many wings off little Demons." The Healer shifted on his feet, eyes darting from her to the door as if he had a chance in escaping. "It's a ten percent out of a hundred survival rate and that's only removing one wing. Now, a half Demon is so much more less than that, about a four percent."

"See reason!" he snapped, thwack. He stumbled forward a little and let out a wheeze, blood dribbled from his mouth as he staggered backwards a few feet.

"I am very reasonable," Ishizu glared at him as he stumbled about knocking into small tables as he tried to make it to the door. "Healers a very primitive in their healing abilities and almost never look for alternative healing methods." He fell to his knees for a second before falling the rest of the way to the floor face down with every sharp object in the room protruded from the Healer's back. "An infection can be cured by a simple potion." She rose from her chair and moved to the bed, from under the bandages dark veins were spreading down Malik's back.

Ishizu had summoned Devlin to watch over Malik, while she left to make a potion her brother needed. She had spent a good few hours of research, since it wasn't something important enough to have memorized. She needed something that would not only work on a flesh infection but a bone one as well and something strong to numb his pain.

Ishizu soon returned to her brother and with the help of Devlin they rolled Malik onto his side and titled his head upwards. She pressed the bottle to his lips and encouraged him to drink the thick green liquid she poured into his mouth. Malik choked and coughed causing it to run down his chin and cheeks and only swallowing small amounts at a time.

"Is he going to make it?" Devlin asked as Ishizu deemed Malik had consumed enough and gently rolled him back onto his stomach.

"Of course he is," she placed the lid on the bottle and onto a small table nearby and moved towards the armchair.

"I… um… I need to return, my master will start to get suspicious of my absence."

"Then go," Ishizu opened her book. She had gotten all the useful information out of him that she wanted, which wasn't all that much anyway and had no idea why he still hung around.

"Will you still hold up your end of our bargain?" He took a few steps towards her.

"I can do it right now for you, if you like?" she stared at him, it wasn't often that she was questioned about any deals she had made. She always held up her end of the bargain no matter what. However, breaking the contract without fulfilling it, meant a slow painful death of her draining all of their powers for herself.

"No," he shifted on his feet. "I'll get Ryou here safe and sound before the attack." She raised an eyebrow at him and he vanished.

Ishizu made herself comfortable and went back to her book, hoping to find what had gone wrong or what she had missed, overlooked for the spell she had been casting earlier that day.

It was the sounds of shouting, glass shattering that startled Ishizu as she jolted forward on the edge of the chair gripping the armrests as her sleep fogged mind cleared. The bed empty. She rushed from the room and paused in the hallway. "He just walked out!" A Healer was getting to her feet as she looked towards the front of the house.

Ishizu snarled, perhaps she had made the numbing potion too well. She rushed outside and stood on the steps for a moment. He couldn't have gotten far. Her potion might have worked well, but it wasn't good enough to have Malik moving fast enough to escape her. "Where is my brother?!" She shouted and the few that guarded the village at night pointed in the direction of the forest. "Why are you watching him run away? Stop him!" As she spoke her order hallows erupted all over the village and human forms changed into that of Werewolves as they dashed by in groups with snarls and growling and thundering paws.

For the second time that day Ishizu was running as if her life depended on it since she hadn't ordered them to get him back alive. If the Werewolves thought this was a hunt they could easily kill Malik.

"Shit!" Ishizu cursed as she looked skyward, despite it being night the full moon and stars vanished. That bastard once again spread his darkness all over the Realm like a damn plague. It couldn't cross the protection runes she had placed all around the village to keep it from being found. However, if Malik got far enough out of the village and touched it, everything she had put herself through and him, would have been for nothing.

Ishizu sped up upon hearing a scream followed by an animalistic yelp of pain. The closer she got she could see eight Werewolves circling Malik, snarling and growling at him. Malik held his sword and a Werewolf bleeding as it limped back, enraged the pack as they lunged forward and knocked Malik down so hard that they slid a few feet ending up rather close to that darkness. Malik screamed as three of the Werewolves on his back bit down on his shoulders, arms and neck.

"Stop!" Ishizu screamed out and close enough that she thrust her hand forward and with it her energy struck the four Werewolves and threw them off Malik. He lifted a hand and reached out to touch that swirling darkness. "Malik stop!" She yelled and he struggled as he stretched out his trembling hand, his fingers reaching for that darkness missing by only inches.

A Werewolf snagged him by the ankle biting down as it dragged Malik backwards away from the darkness, and he cried out his desperation as he crawled frantically at the ground to get back. Ishizu threw herself on top of him and pinned him, ignoring how he screamed as his wings were trapped under him awkwardly. "Marik did this to you." He struggled and it took all of her control not to force him into submission. "I saved you and brought you here. If you go back now, Marik would surely kill you. He doesn't want you anymore." His struggling stopped as he stared at her. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you out sooner." she released her grip on him a little.

"I just want to go home," his voice strained, his eyes filled with tears as he placed his hands over his eyes while his body raked with heart wrenching sobs.

TBC

Stay safe and take care R&R